The increasing demand for sustainable technologies and products has led to the extensive research of bio-based innovative solutions. In this scenario, developing strategies to transform renewable natural resources (urban bio-waste, organic residues or wastes from primary production and industrial processes, biomass, etc) into bio-based materials contribute to reduce dependency of fossil resources, accelerate the transition to a green and circular economy while ensuring a lower environmental impact.

In this project, biosynthesized polymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and biobased polymers such as polyesters (PE), polyesteramides (PEA), polyurethanes (PU), polyamides (PA), etc. will be processed by novel techniques (electrospinning, ultrasonic molding, nanotexturing, 3D printing) and loaded with bioactive molecules (e.g., polyphenols, antibacterials, etc.) obtained as by-products of organic waste transformation and industrial processing. Consequently, the new bioplastic materials will have a high added value due to their origin and will be used in the development of industrial and biomedical applications.

In particular, PHAs stand out because they are a diverse group of biodegradable polyesters naturally synthesized by bacteria through fermentation processes. These polymers have garnered significant attention as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics because of their natural origin, remarkable biodegradability and biocompatibility. Beyond their environmental benefits, PHAs family includes over 150 different types with unique carbon side chains and distinct monomer compositions that provide a range of diverse physical and chemical properties that would make them suitable for a wide range of applications: from packaging or water-filtration membranes, to preparation of biomedical devices or scaffolds for tissue engineering. These physico-chemical characteristics and applications are also valid for biobased polymers.

Within this project, the polymeric materials will be functionalised with other natural compounds or biomolecules (e.g., polyphenols, proteins, etc.), and nanoparticles/nanofibers (e.g., clays, cellulose, etc.) to enhance the polymers reactivity, processability, mechanical and thermal properties together with new functionalities like antimicrobial activity, antioxidant properties or UV-Vis protection, etc. Finally, following the aforementioned waste-to-product strategy, four prototypes will be developed and validated for: i) food packaging, ii) water nanofiltration systems, iii) transdermal drug delivery systems and iv) phytosanitary release systems for the agri-food industry.

Objectives:

• Study and characterization of biosynthesized polymers (PHAs) and biobased polymers (PE, PEA, PU, PA, etc.). Properties evaluation depending on composition and polymer microstructure.
• Application of new processing techniques (e.g., electrospinning, surface nanotexturization, ultrasound micromolding and 3D-printing technologies), capable of generating high added-value products.
• Selection, characterisation and incorporation of natural compounds (biomolecules and additives) like proteins, polyphenols, clays, etc. These will be obtained from natural resources such as plants or fruit seeds, to enhance processability, reactivity or material’s functionality.
• Development of functional nanocomposite hybrid materials prototypes for food packaging, water filtration/purification and as drug/phytosanitary delivery systems applications.